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Top Trailers is known for creativity and innovation. This year it celebrates its tenth birthday. By Susan Miller
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Top Trailers FEATURE
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op Trailers, one of the largest trailer manufacturers in South Africa celebrates its tenth anniversary this year, business operations having commenced on March 1, 2002. I asked National Sales and Marketing Manager William Mathee (MW) how he thinks the business is doing and what’s being planned for the future. Q: How do you mark the last ten years? MW: We look at our designs from the past ten years. Every year we focus on new innovations in order to improve the quality of all our products. One example is our Side Tipper range where we started off with Mark 1 and we’re currently at Mark 6 in design terms. Every new design is a highlight and we intend to do that on an ongoing basis. Q: Tell me more about your newest design? MW: Our brand new Swingbin was launched in November last year at the Johannesburg International Motor Show. The main difference between the Swingbin and a Side Tipper is the safety aspect. With the Swing Bin the centre of gravity remains exactly in the middle of the trailer, making it more stable. The bottom basically falls out so it offers a lot more stability. With the Swingbin no tipping takes place – your bottom falls out, your top rises – it’s like a mouth that opens.
Q: You tailor make trailers for customers. How does that work? MW: The customer will contact us with his/her unique requirements in terms of the product the customer transport, the terrain and the quality of the roads and the required payload. After he gives us the basic idea, we will design a trailer for him. The Swingbin came about through one of our customers who had the idea when he was fitting his kitchen doors. When he opened the doors he said hang on a second – ‘when I open this everything just falls out’. He came to us. The concept is very simple. We started talking and ended up with the swing bin. So ideas can start with customers and we will follow them through.
Ideas can start with customers and we will follow them through William Mathee
Q: Can you sell these ideas all over the world? MW: Yes. We are currently focused on our local market but our intention is to expand
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into neighbouring countries like Angola and Zambia. We will also take our product overseas. At the moment we’re still battling to keep up with local demand but there is a lot of potential out there. Whoever we intend to be the first big mover, reaping the benefit of it. Q: How would you classify your company? MW: There are basically three big operators in South Africa – Afrit Trailers, SA Truck Bodies and Top Trailers. We see ourselves in the top three. Q: And where are your premises based? MW: We’ve got three factories – two in Joburg in the Wakefield area and one in Cape Town in Atlantis. Then we’ve got the repair depot (it can also build new units) in Middleburg. We also do repairs in Heidelberg and in Richards Bay in KwaZulu Natal.
Apart from moving cross border and looking at opportunities overseas, we will also look at local expansion on an ongoing basis
Q: Are there any new avenues for Top Trailers? MW: Apart from moving cross border and looking at opportunities overseas, we will also look at local expansion on an ongoing basis. We operate a small business, Leader Trader Bodies, in Ermelo where we focus on new Rigid Tipping Bodies as well as general trailer repairwork. Q: Over the last ten years how have things changed in the industry? MW: The requirements affecting the materials you use have changed. There is a lot of emphasis on quality and durability. If we compare the trailers that we build now to trailers that we built ten years ago there is a big improvement. Our railway system over the last ten years has being shocking so road transport had to replace it. There are a lot more trucks out there. In terms of the volume and demand for trailers over the last ten years you actually can’t compare it. Q: Does industry keep in touch with government? MW: The National Road Transport Association meets every month. It helps to know exactly what the industry requirements are and the influence of government and the decisions they made, on the industry.
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Top Trailers FEATURE
Q: Many countries are going through a crisis how do you feel about the SA economy? MW: My view is that by the end of this year things should be better. Of course it depends on the sector that you service. Coal mining is in demand and it’s going very well. Luckily for us the majority of our customers transport coal and that is one of our specialised applications.
new. The manufacturing side was a bit new but I do have my MBA so I had some background. To be honest it is still a bit of a challenge.
Q: How important are business relationships? MW: A very good relationship with our suppliers is critical as your factory and business depends on getting the right raw materials at the right time. We are working towards being part of an integrated network involving our customers and suppliers. We like to let our suppliers know exactly what we are busy with.
Q: Your motto: ‘the Sky is Not the Limit’ is certainly catchy MW: The message we want to get across ‘is that whatever the design or the need, whatever the customer wants – we will build it for him. There’s no limit in terms of new ideas and innovation. That’s how we want to be known...’ END
Q: Are Top Trailers exceptional in offering 24 hour road side assistance to all your customers? They could be anywhere in SA... MW: Yes, that is one of our competitive advantages. If there is a service need we will send somebody out wherever the customer is even if it takes him five to ten hours to get there. That it is not negotiable. That is simply what we do. Q: I see you joined Top Trailers three years ago? MW: Yes, funnily enough I worked for Absa Bank for 19 years and Top Trailers was one of my customers. They wanted somebody to look afters sales nationally and we started talking. I decided to see what happens on the other side of the fence. Q: That was quite a change? MW: I was involved in asset finance so from a financial point of view it was not
Q: What would you like to say to your customers? MW: If it was not for them our business wouldn’t exist. I would like to thank them for their support.
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Corner of Lamp and Lantern Road Wadeville 1422 P.O. Box 15078 Tel: +27 11 824 2208 Fax: +27 11 827 4230 Email: william@toptrailers.co.za
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